SpaceX’s Historic Rendezvous With the Space Station

UPDATE 8:42 a.m. PDT -- Dragon successfully splashed down in the Pacific off of the coast of Baja California.

Tomorrow marks the end of SpaceX's first mission to the International Space Station. The Dragon spacecraft will be detached from the station early Thursday morning and is expected to splash down in the eastern Pacific less than six hours later. It's been eight days since SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket, boosting the company's Dragon spacecraft into low Earth orbit. On Friday, Dragon became the first privately operated spacecraft to attach to the ISS as part of NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation System program.

On Saturday, Dragon's hatch was opened and astronauts on board the ISS entered the capsule for the first time, calling it roomy and even commenting on the "new-car smell." On Monday, the crew spent the holiday emptying the more than 1,000 pounds of cargo on board Dragon and filling it back up with nearly 1,400 pounds of cargo for the return trip back to earth.

Dragon is expected to perform a deorbit burn early Thursday morning (watch live around 3:35 a.m. PDT), slowing down until it reenters the atmosphere. During reentry, the capsule's heat shield will protect it from the heat caused by friction with the increasingly dense atmosphere. SpaceX says the reentry profile will be similar to Dragon's first trip to space back in 2010, and is similar to all spacecraft leaving the ISS and returning to earth.

After Dragon detaches and moves away from the space station the capsule will be visible from earth for a few minutes early Thursday morning (assuming there are no clouds where you are). To find out when and where to look, NASA has a few different ways of determining your best chances.

After splashing down about 490 miles west-southwest of Los Angeles, Dragon will be recovered by a ship and returned to Los Angeles before being transported via airplane to SpaceX's McGregor, Texas facility for post-flight analysis.

Photo: NASA

Dragon orbits over Namibia as it approaches the station for last week's series of maneuvers before berthing with the ISS. The Dragon is seen on top, with the cylindrical cargo trunk attached to the bottom of the capsule. The cargo trunk will be detached before reentry, exposing the heat shield.

Photo: ESA/NASA

Astronauts on board the ISS spent much of the time before berthing Dragon watching it through the windows of the Cupola module. Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers commented the view makes the work rather pleasant, "hours on end monitoring Dragon's approach is no punishment."

Photo: NASA

The ISS and Dragon (along with the Soyuz capsule of Expedition 31) orbit the earth roughly every 90 minutes, providing plenty of opportunities for sunrise and sunset photos. Here the spacecraft pass Buenos Aires, Argentina during sunset on their way over the Atlantic Ocean.

Photo: ESA/NASA

Astronauts Don Pettit (left) and Andre Kuipers (right) inside the Cupola module prepare for Dragon's arrival at the ISS. The two spent several years preparing for the mission, including practicing with the large robotic Canadarm2 just days before Dragon arrived at the station.

Photo: NASA

It seems hard to take a bad picture with a distant earth as a backdrop. Here a partially shaded Dragon flies over the Rocky Mountains in a matter of seconds.

Photo: ESA/NASA

A close-up of Dragon shows nine of the capsule's 18 thrusters, which are used for maneuvering in orbit as well as for slowing down during the deorbit burn. Also visible in the middle of the photo is the open guidance, navigation, and control door. The opening of the door shortly after launch was a key milestone during the flight, giving SpaceX engineers the ability to use the on-board navigation equipment. The opening of the GNC door also exposes the grapple point where the Canadarm2 attaches to Dragon.

The main attach point for the Dragon is at the bottom of the capsule in this photo. The metal ring is what locks with the ISS before the hatch is opened.

Photo: NASA

Astronaut Andre Kuipers took this photo from the station used during the capture and berthing inside the Cupola module. Astronaut Don Pettit can be seen at the Canadarm2 control position pointing at the laptop. The green control panel in the middle includes controls for the robotic arm, such as lighting, camera options, and a "joint control" dial in the middle allowing the operator to choose between using the joystick to control the shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

Photo: ESA/NASA

A video screen inside the Cupola module shows the target outline for Dragon as it approaches its berthing point on the station's harmony module.

Photo: ESA/NASA

Under the lights from the ISS, Dragon is moved into berthing position by the Canadarm2 with astronaut Don Pettit at the controls. This side of Dragon shows the other nine thrusters as well as the backside of the solar array.

Photo: ESA/NASA

Dragon flies over the earth at the end of the robotic arm that captured and berthed it with the ISS. Here the gold-colored cover to the hatch can be seen on the right side of the Dragon capsule.

Photo: NASA

NASA Flight Director Holly Ridings sits at her control station at the Johnson Space Center in Houston during the Dragon COTS mission. The small purple dragon stuffed toy sat atop the Flight Director's desk during most of the flight.

Photo: NASA

A fisheye view inside the Dragon as seen from the ISS. Astronaut Andre Kuipers described the inside of Dragon as, "Beautiful. Spacious, modern. Blue LEDs. Feels a bit like a sci-fi film set. Of course it is from Los Angeles." The round, gold-colored hatch door can be seen at the bottom of the image.

Photo: NASA

A nice close-up showing the front end of Dragon and its hatch. The gold protective cover is removed to expose the round hatch door seen in the fisheye photo.

Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers unloading some of the 1,014 pounds of cargo transported aboard Dragon to the ISS. Included in the delivery was food, clothes, batteries, and a laptop. Fifteen science experiments from middle and high school students across the country were also delivered to the ISS.

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